| The Church of the South Pacific |
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You step into a large, quiet space, lit with filtered shafts of light from above, and coloured rays from somewhere ahead. Your footsteps echo on hard stone, but shapes draped in soft fabric line the way ahead. As you approach they resolve into chairs. The air is redolent of candle smoke and, perhaps a faint incense. It is strong enough to evoke memories of other times, other places, strong enough to inspire mystery, yet subtle and unintrusive. You feel warm, safe, invited. There is a chair with your name on it.
Welcome. Welcome to something I have wanted to do for some time, but have never been brave enough. I'll explain what it is in a second, but first, a bit of backstory. I joined NS two and a half years ago partly because the invitation was made by a friend, but also because I was looking for something just like this at the time. I don't mean to say that I was actively searching, so much as that I had been thinking about it a fair bit, exploring an idea in my head and what that idea was, at its core, was a sense of a kind of calling. I felt that there was a need and that I might be able to be part of meeting that need. The need, as I saw it, was for more people to serve as Christian witnesses and, indeed, 'ministers' in the broadest sense of that term, in online communities, which, as NS attests, are real communities - just as real as any small town, or campus or wherever people might feel called to serve in 'Real Life'. I saw this need in general terms and felt a desire to serve, but had no community in which to perform that service. And then I found NS. Over the last two and a half years I have kept my witness light: a quote in my signature, which I hope reflects my behaviour and explains some of the reason for it, a blog through Lent, the occasionaly seasonal comment here and there. I didn't come here to shove my faith into people's faces, but merely to live it out before them. That's not going to change. This isn't a shocking reveal of sme kind of Christian entryism. I'm not aiming to be anything different than before. All I do want to do is open this place to all who want to use it and to offer up my service in maintaining it. So what is this place? Well, firstly, it's an experiment and I fully accept that that means it might be a complete failure, but here's what I hope it will be:
What it isn't, and this might be tricky in the South Pacific of all places, is a debating chamber. It isn't a place for apologetics or arguments about the validity of certain beliefs. There is a place for that, absolutely, but I don't want it here. Instead, I want a place for all people of all faiths and none to explore spirituality (primarily Christian, 'cos that's what I know, but there'll be room for more than that) and to feel safe doing so. That won't work if this thread becomes combative. So, where to begin? Perhaps it would be good if people just expressed an interest in the thread that follows and, perhaps, if you feel up to it, explain where you feel you are in your own spiritual journey. For myself, I find I'm at a bit of a juncture where what I am called to do personally and perhaps institutionally is coming to the forefront of my mind. There are lots of reasons for this and I'll happily go throug them all later, but it's part of what finally nudged me into starting this thread after so long. It's an especially interesting time and I suspect it's no coincidence that it is also a rather dark, difficult and complicated time in my life, as highlighted by my recent trouble with Generalised Anxiety Disorder. I don't know how all of this will turn out, but the journey, fraught though it is, is also exciting! I can feel God moving me into new ways of thinking, new modes of action and preparing me for something different! Founder of the Church of the South Pacific [Forum Thread] [Discord], a safe place to discuss spirituality for people of all faiths and none (currently looking for those interested in prayer and/or "home" groups);
And The Silicon Pens [Discord], a writer's group for the South Pacific and beyond! Yahweo usenneo ir varleo, ihraneo jurlaweo hraseu seu, ir jiweveo arladi. Salma 145:8
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The following 6 users Like Seraph's post:• Amerion, Felis Silvestris Grampia, Marnie, Qwert, Rebeltopia, The most reverend jazmyne lotus Emperor
I'm agnostic, but I support this initiative. Let's hope there is tolerance and good faith, and, in TSP, there's plenty of that OOCly lol.
Deputy Regional Minister of the Planning and Development Agency(March 8-May 19, 2014)
Local Council Member(April 24-August 11) Court Justice of TSP(August 15-December 7)
I really like this initiative. Very creative and brave!
![[Image: VCUpXJI.png1]](https://imgur.com/VCUpXJI.png1) BZERNELEG
South Pacifican. Public Servant. Creator. In that order.
Official Thread • Lampshade Broadcasting Company • The Tsunamy Institution of the Law and Public Policy
For the last 10 years or so, I've given up on religion.
I've found the politicking of organized religion to get in the way of the main objective - learning to be more Christ-like. I've gotten more out of picking up and reading the Book over the last 10 years than I had going to a church the first 20 years of my life. I find it very hard to trust the church (as a whole) and most people in it, as those are the people who have hurt me the most in my life. Lay leaders, pastors, the churches "elders"... these people are usually the first to throw your name in the mud to keep their own clean. Sent from my SM-G935T using Tapatalk
"...if you're normal, the crowd will accept you. But if you're deranged, the crowd will make you their leader." - Christopher Titus
Deranged in NS since 2011 One and ONLY minion of LadyRebels The OUTRAGEOUS CRAZY other half of LadyElysium (10-15-2018, 09:54 AM)Rebeltopia Wrote: For the last 10 years or so, I've given up on religion. Though completely understandable -the church is made up fallen humanity, afterall - that's really sad to hear because, even though I'm a terrible introvert, I believe it's important to share your faith with other believers and to be part of some kind of church family. Of course that doesn't have to be a traditional church at all and perhaps this can be part of that for you? I'm certainly willing to share the journey with you and call you a brother through Christ, so, please, feel welcome here. 
Founder of the Church of the South Pacific [Forum Thread] [Discord], a safe place to discuss spirituality for people of all faiths and none (currently looking for those interested in prayer and/or "home" groups);
And The Silicon Pens [Discord], a writer's group for the South Pacific and beyond! Yahweo usenneo ir varleo, ihraneo jurlaweo hraseu seu, ir jiweveo arladi. Salma 145:8
Im all for sharing my experiences and what I know.
I really did enjoy reading your Lenten blog, and will support you (and anyone else) in their walks, even if its not a Christian road
"...if you're normal, the crowd will accept you. But if you're deranged, the crowd will make you their leader." - Christopher Titus
Deranged in NS since 2011 One and ONLY minion of LadyRebels The OUTRAGEOUS CRAZY other half of LadyElysium
Well, whilst I decide on some content to share here, here's an old talk i gave on the topic of Joshua chapter 1.
Joshua is a significant book in many ways. It can be read as a coda to the Pentateuch; God demonstrating his faithfulness by fulfilling the promises he made to the patriarchs: leading the Israelites into the Promised Land despite all of their unfaithfulness. This is a particularly helpful way of looking at the book as a whole when we then choose to narrow it down to chapter one, because the beginning of any story is always an uncertain place, it’s the part where events are set up, plans are made and we don’t know how they are going to turn out, even if we already do because we’ve read the story a thousand times before. And that, surely, is how the Israelites felt at this point. They had faced much to reach the Jordan: forty years of wandering, the loss of an entire generation, the battles against Sihon and Og, the death of Moses. They were finally on the threshold of the Promised Land, but there was much still to do and all the things which had made them turn away at Kadesh forty years before were still true. I’m not sure how I’d have felt if I were one of them - a mixture of emotions, most likely - but I imagine that chief amongst them would have been anxiety, a fear of the unknown. God knew this. He knew that despite all that the Israelites had witnessed, despite the miraculous interventions time and again, his people would need a pep talk before they faced the land of Canaan. I know that I would have. Despite the numerous times that God has proven himself faithful in our lives, don’t we find, from time to time, that we need to be reminded? When I first became a Christian I was not a strong person at all. I was a shy, scared eleven year old who didn’t have much in common with the other boys at school and who was pathologically afraid of drawing too much attention to myself. I was prone to worry about everything and would panic easily. I was not, in short, the ideal candidate for sharing the gospel. There were two things I prayed for more than anything else in my teenage years: for more faith, that I would believe and act accordingly in all situations and for courage, that I would be able to live and work like a normal human being and serve God faithfully along the way. In the midst of such prayer, I first discovered Joshua chapter one and it quickly became my favourite passage in the whole Bible: a reminder that God is always with me; an encouragement to be strong and courageous! It was exactly what I was looking for. Twenty-three years later and I am still sometimes shy, often scared, still easily worried and I can stress for Britain if given half a chance. I still pray regularly for more faith and I still ask God for the courage and confidence to meet everyday tasks, let alone the big stuff. Does this mean God has failed? Has he answered all my prayers with a hollow ‘No’? I don’t think so, after all, here I am standing up and talking about the word of God to you fine people. In fact, God has called me often to step outside of my comfort zone and to do something I would never think of doing myself. He delights in making me stand up in front of people to sing, to talk, to act, to give testimony and even, on one occasion, to dance. These things which would have terrified me in other situations have enabled me to grow and develop as a human being, pushing my boundaries and helping me to pass on learned skills into other areas of my life - a blessing in and of itself - but, more than that, they have enabled me to serve in the Kingdom of God despite all my weaknesses. It’s just that I keep needing God’s pep talks, those little reminders of all the times I’ve stepped forward before at his urging and found that, yes, God is faithful. So, it’s interesting, then, that God doesn’t merely remind Joshua of all of his past deeds and say, ‘see, you can trust me!’ He is much more direct. Joshua isn’t simply reminded here, he’s commanded. ‘Be strong and courageous’, God says in verse 6 and again in verse 7, ‘be strong and very courageous’. Indeed, God gives Joshua this command four times in this chapter and it is not until the third time in verse 9 that he adds those famous words of encouragement and consolation, ‘Do not be terrified, do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go’, and even that was prefaced with ‘Have I not commanded you?’ ‘Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous.’ What does this tell us about God? Yes, it tells us that he is a God of comfort and consolation; yes, it tells us he knows when we need to be encouraged and spurred on; yes, it tells us he really is with us always, through all circumstances, but there is more to this than that. God isn’t simply being comforting, he is commanding! This is the almighty God, creator and sustainer of heaven and earth, commander of armies of angels, the one to whom the vastness of the universe is as a speck of dust – This is that God, meeting with the leader of his people, giving the necessary orders for battle. The first order he gives? ‘Be strong and courageous’ and by adding ‘Have I not commanded you?’ later he’s making it clear that the command alone really ought to have been enough - of course it should be, it’s coming from God – but despite this he adds the consolation anyway, because he knows his creatures better than we know ourselves. So, God commands us to be bold. He commands us to have confidence in ourselves and in him when we are doing his work and the command itself should be enough. God knows we are weak, so the consolation will always be there, but the command comes first. We must be strong and courageous for God! I always read this passage as a comfort for socially awkward me, a word God whispered in the back of my mind when I needed a little lift, when the pressures of peers, school, work, life were getting me down. Now I realise that the emphasis here is very different from what I had thought and the result is, astonishingly, all the more glorious. Rather than God comforting me to help me achieve my goals, which may or may not happen to line up with his, this is God commanding me to be bold so that I might achieve his goals, which are better for me than anything I might want for myself anyway! Is this still encouraging? Is this still a boost to faith and confidence for those struggling? Of course it is! God is reminding us here that we should have faith and confidence simply because he is! God does not just give us consolation and encouragement, he is our consolation and our encouragement. He does not just give us strength but he is our strength. Isn’t that so much better than a mere quiet word at a tough time? But we must remember the context, the eve of invasion. As well as being a comfort, it’s also a call to arms to meet God’s mission head on. For Joshua that mission was to see the fulfilment of God’s promises to the Israelites and we can see throughout the rest of the book of Joshua just how that works out and how God continues to be faithful at every step of the way – often in surprising ways! For us that mission it is to see the fulfilment of God’s promises to the whole world, through Christ’s work on the cross and the commission he gave us to spread the word. There are many ways we can do that, as I have found in my relatively short Christian life, and indeed there are many ways we are each working towards that goal in our everyday lives. If we’re struggling, however, if the command to go forth and tell seems a hard one, then remember the God who gave the command, who is with us wherever we go and who will strengthen us as and when we need it. And remember that it is a command from the Lord of Hosts and that before he told us to go forth he first commanded: ‘Be strong and courageous!’ Founder of the Church of the South Pacific [Forum Thread] [Discord], a safe place to discuss spirituality for people of all faiths and none (currently looking for those interested in prayer and/or "home" groups);
And The Silicon Pens [Discord], a writer's group for the South Pacific and beyond! Yahweo usenneo ir varleo, ihraneo jurlaweo hraseu seu, ir jiweveo arladi. Salma 145:8
It's Sunday, so I thought I'd share a short reflection on a passage of scripture. The passage I've chosen is Mark 10: 35-45 and it's the gospel reading for today in the lectionary of the Church of England (which is a handy way of choosing a passage when you have nothing particular in mind). I hope to attempt these weekly, just so there's always something for us to chew over here.
Mark chapter 10 Wrote:35 Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him. “Teacher,” they said, “we want you to do for us whatever we ask.”36 “What do you want me to do for you?” he asked.37 They replied, “Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory.”38 “You don’t know what you are asking,” Jesus said. “Can you drink the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?”39 “We can,” they answered.Jesus said to them, “You will drink the cup I drink and be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with, 40 but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared.”41 When the ten heard about this, they became indignant with James and John. 42 Jesus called them together and said, “You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. 43 Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant,44 and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. 45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” How many of us feel about God the way James and John clearly do at the start of this passage? “We want you to do for us whatever we ask.” I doubt any of us would come out and say it like that but, how often when in the depths of prayer, do we feel just such a sentiment. “I’m praying, God, so please just do what I ask!” And yet, this passage points not only to the brazen rudeness of such an attitude - we certainly don’t want to identify with James and John here as they treat Jesus like the genie out of Aladdin - but also its considerable folly. Jesus is gracious in his response. “You don’t know what you’re asking.” He points to the fact that his own glory and authority are intimately tied to his suffering, that he is not a king in the sense they long for, but something much deeper and more costly. One commentary I read points out that Jesus’ left and right will soon be occupied, not by those of special honour as James and John might see it, but by convicted criminals suffering the same humiliating and excruciating form of execution as Jesus. We do not know what we ask and half the time we’re asking for the wrong things anyway, but here Jesus directs us onto the best path - to consider ourselves as servants even if we wish to lead, to take the route of humility and to be prepared for suffering and rejection. It’s a hard sell, but Jesus finishes with the real reason why it should be pursued - not for greatness, nor even heavenly reward, but for salvation itself. “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” We need that ransom more than anything else in the world - to be rescued from our weakness and sin and be reunited with God through Christ. It’s the one thing that we should ask God for and we know, with certainty, that if we ask for this we will receive it. Founder of the Church of the South Pacific [Forum Thread] [Discord], a safe place to discuss spirituality for people of all faiths and none (currently looking for those interested in prayer and/or "home" groups);
And The Silicon Pens [Discord], a writer's group for the South Pacific and beyond! Yahweo usenneo ir varleo, ihraneo jurlaweo hraseu seu, ir jiweveo arladi. Salma 145:8
Hebrews chapter 7 Wrote:23 Now there have been many of those priests, since death prevented them from continuing in office; 24 but because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood. 25 Therefore he is able to save completely[c] those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them. I've been thinking a lot about the concept of priesthood, lately. One of the many things going on in my life right now is the exploration of what it might mean to be ordained in the Church of England and part of that process is speaking with vicars about what they think it means to be a priest. I'm still at the start of this process and I'm not sure I've come to any kind of a conclusion, yet, but there's one thing of which I am sure: Jesus is my High Priest and this passage in Hebrews makes it clear that there is no other priest required for us anymore. Of course, the Church needs leadership and I can see how that leadership taking the form of a priest might be particularly helpful for many Christians. Nevertheless, all human priesthood, both before Christ and since, is but a signpost to the ultimate priesthood of Christ. But what even is priesthood? The nation of Israel was to be a royal priesthood to the world, even whilst the Levites and the descendents of Aaron were to be the priests for the Israelites. The purpose of that priesthood, in both senses, was to be a witness to what it means to live God's way and to serve those outside of the priesthood in connecting them to God and performing the rituals of sacrifice and cleansing which atoned for sin. Jesus, as the ultimate example of Godly living, the ultimate marriage of humanity and deity and the ultimate sacrifice, washing us of our sin with his very blood, fulfills all of these attributes once and for all. As a final thought, I find it a great comfort that, as part of his priestly role, Jesus is always interceding for us. He who teaches us how to pray in what has become the almost universal language of the Lord's prayer, is also constantly in touch with the Father about us! If that isn't a thought to fall back on when we're feeling low and/or have lost the words to pray, then I'm not sure what could be. Founder of the Church of the South Pacific [Forum Thread] [Discord], a safe place to discuss spirituality for people of all faiths and none (currently looking for those interested in prayer and/or "home" groups);
And The Silicon Pens [Discord], a writer's group for the South Pacific and beyond! Yahweo usenneo ir varleo, ihraneo jurlaweo hraseu seu, ir jiweveo arladi. Salma 145:8
Matthew 22: 1-14 Wrote:22 Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying: 2 “The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son. 3 He sent his servants to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come, but they refused to come. This is a fairly well-known parable, but certainly not one of the go-to parables everyone thinks they can recite from scratch, like the Prodigal Son or the Good Samaritan. Part of the reason for this, I think, is that it's a parable that unsettles even as it teaches. The imagery used is violent, scary even and it seems, towards the end, that the treatment given to the man without any wedding clothes might be more than a little unfair - even assuming you've understood what's going on in the rest of the parable. Actually, as Jesus' parables go, this one isn't too difficult to unlock, and nor is it supposed to be. The context, from the previous chapter, is that Jesus is teaching within the confines of the temple courtyard. Here would be a mixed audience of those who had followed him in, those visiting the temple and the temple authorities themselves: priests and teachers of the Torah, many of them Pharisees, the most influential group amongst the religious leaders. As Jesus tells this story, his listeners could be in little doubt about who the king represented - that one is God, of course - and equally little doubt could surround the identity of those originally invited to the king's banquet. The Pharisees must have been livid! The king's servants, who Jesus accuses the religious leaders of ignoring, mistreating and even murdering, stand for the many Prophets who delivered God's messages of judgment, repentence and also reconciliation to the nations of Israel and Judah. The other guests then, rounded up from the streets, represent everyone else. What a nice affirming story for those who wished to reject the current establishment, eh? Except that isn't all the story conveys. Firstly, there's the undercurrent of the story, that perhaps the original guests might mean the Jewish people and thus the other guests could only mean the Gentiles, which would have been a scandalous thing for a good Jewish teacher to suggest. But even if that possibility didn't sink in, there's that slightly baffling coda to the story: the guest without wedding clothes and his sudden, harsh treatment. In ancient Palestine, weddings like this would often provide garments for their guests to wear and, though Jesus doesn't mention it, it seems fair to assume that that is what was going on here. Thus, a guest without wedding clothes is not someone too poor to be properly attired, but someone who has deliberately rejected the offer of suitable garments and thus the hospitality of their host. In the story, it's a rejection of the king, an implicit insult, which rightly leaves the freeloading man speechless when confronted and facing the wrath of that same king. Outside of the parable, this makes the most important point in the story: Jesus is not merely condemning the Pharisees, nor the Jews, for their lack of attention to their God - he's pointing out that everyone can be guilty of this - that God gives us the opoprtunity to enter his kingdom wearing the clothes of righteousness, but that this open invitation is not without the expectation of a loving, respectful response. We are not merely to take advantage of God's great generosity, but to respect it, be grateful for it and, though this is extrapolating beyond the parallels of the parable, to love and worship Him for it. The Kingdom of God is, ultimately, one of relationship and one where we get in on the basis of the Father's relationship to the Son, whose robes we get to wear. It is only right that we accept that with loving grace and not prioritise other things in our lives (like the original guests), nor turn our nose down at Christ's offer of Grace and think we can get by just fine on our own (like the ungrateful guest). The practice of loving gratitude for all God has done for us and given us is one that will serve us well as we follow Him. Founder of the Church of the South Pacific [Forum Thread] [Discord], a safe place to discuss spirituality for people of all faiths and none (currently looking for those interested in prayer and/or "home" groups);
And The Silicon Pens [Discord], a writer's group for the South Pacific and beyond! Yahweo usenneo ir varleo, ihraneo jurlaweo hraseu seu, ir jiweveo arladi. Salma 145:8
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